‘The best place to lay eggs?’ The slimy creature thinks as it watches you skipping rocks. ‘A host to houses my eggs, something warm and tasty.’ Swamp thing thinks as it silently slips into the cold dry air. Looking down at reflections in still eye. She smiles at you after your breath is gone, ‘What a happy nest this will make. I’m such a good mom.’ She smiles as you’re dragged under.

SCARECROW HARVEST

Alpharetta’s downtown streets will be lined with over 100 scarecrows to celebrate its fall spirit. Join in on the free family entertainment that includes groovy country music, games of crow-cornhole, hay rides, quirky face painting, historical demos, artsy activities, stimulating story-telling, yummy festival food and engaging inflatables.

This week was destiny came to model for us. I was teaching my Street Art class till 7:30 so showed up a bit late. I missed the one minute warm-up poses. Great lighting as always and the snacks are good although right now i’m working on my heath so no cookies.

I got there just in time for the last two five minute poses.

Line drawing in Red ink of Destiny stretching with hands forward. Five minute pose.

Hunched and resting, line drawing with red ink of Destiny, five minute pose.

One leg forward, sitting on a large black cushion, Painting with shapes using the roller tool in Paper 53 in pink and mauve tones. Destiny, ten minute pose.

This painting of Destiny resting on one hand, using orange tones, last ten minute pose.

Painting with purple tones, while Destiny sits in a large chair.

Painting with red pillow, a twenty minute pose while Destiny naps.

Last Pose of the night, a purple toned painting of destiny while she rests with her feet up.

The Group brought in Scott to pose he’s the first male model in a long time and it’s the first time using my iPad at a life drawing event. Tonights sketches all posted below. We started, like most sessions, with one Minute poses.

I took a minutes to make a quick pallet. As the night went on i added a pink and yellow.

Big fills with ‘Roller’ tool.

I’m using #Paper53 to do the drawings. The ‘Roller’ tool is my favorite!

Still just doing one minute drawings I feel a bit clumsy with the iPad, new media is always funny at first.

Scott is throwing down great one min poses.

Legs, one minute drawing.

Nope, jump to a new page.

Better, this is the last one minute figure drawing.

Ok five minute figure drawing are flowing better. I and able to break out shapes and show some structure.

More of Scott as captured by Alex Feliciano and his magic tablet.

Getting a bit easier now. More colors added to the pallet.

Nice hands in this one.

Hard pose, I was really trying to capture tention might go back and rework this at a later time.

More great hands, thanks Scott

working on the iPad is tuff but the ease of switching colors makes up for it, I’m using Paper53 on an iPad Pro and Apple pencil,

Now we venture into the 10 minute poses. Hello Detail, can this thing do it?

Looking around on YouTube and found online figure drawing videos. Very neat stuff, I felt a little clumsy with the remote, iPad, Apple Pencil, and sitting on the couch. The videos are timed and the lighting is nice.

Stickers, you wanna’ make stickers… Ok, what do you know about a printing press?

So we selected some sketches, tried them out using thick makers on paper (Draw thick lines to cut thick lines). The students worked out the composition on paper then transferred it over to the rubber printing blocks. Then the scary part KNIFES you can’t make cool stuff without them. After a quick safety lesson including graphic descriptions of possible wounds I passed out the block cutting knifes, happy to report no injuries. HURRAY! They cut thin then cut thick ribbions out of the rubber block, soon they could see the block taking shape. In the end very few revisions where needed. Now a lesson on rollers, ink, and the printing press, they were like fish to water and after a demo, they quietly worked in turns one would be inking their block while the other was pressing. I couldn’t have hoped for better.

The happiness of making tangible items in such a tactile way was expressed in their quiet smiles and the care put into storing away the work.

Working on cleaning up the block after a test print.

Lots of work goes into a single image, many sketches are done before the block is made.

This weekend update:

I packed up the minivan with tons of painting supplies, lots of cardboard, glue guns, and two kids and headed to Sis and Moons to start an large installation (still in progress). The kids Helped me unpack boxes of paint and odds and ends, in the process earned some choice pieces of cardboard, and settled in the back to work on their totem pole (thanks Chris).
Below is a picture of one canvas we use in the ‘Street Art‘ class and my new wall.

The bear head strapped to the top of the van, lots of cardboard and a minivan full of paint.

I started by cutting and trimming down the Bear Head costume. The shoulder pads, chest plate, and back panels where removed. I also removed some underlying structure inside the head. I pulled out the glue guns and started adding new support structures and prepping it for a flat wall.

I took a few minutes to add some color. On the right you can see the back of the bear head and some body panels that were removed and on the floor,

I moved the head to the table for more trim and paint. I also started a border around the head.

Four hours of me working on the bear and the wall.

After the border around the bearhead was done I measured the wall to plan out where the bear was going to go, getting late on a saturday 1 maybe 2 am and then I started painting.